Rural Housing Coalition of New York

The deadline for booking a hotel room at the Fort William Henry Conference Center in Lake George is today. Don't miss out on this year's Annual Conference which features a welcome reception on Monday evening on the steamboat Mohican, which will cruise around Lake George from 6-8 pm.  The Awards Luncheon and Annual Meeting will be on Tuesday at noon with David Lipsetz, President and CEO of Housing Assistance Council (HAC).   And our Tuesday Dinner Entertainment is Carmen Ciricillo the Construction Comic.   Join your colleagues at the Awards Luncheon and Annual Meeting to celebrate this year's award receipients: Tina Zerbian - Lifetime Achievement Award North Country Rural Development Coalition - RPC of the Year Senator John Mannion and Assemblymember Didi Barrett - Advocates of the Year In addition, we will have our usual quality content of workshops featuring HCR staff and programs as well as workshops on the building process, historic preservation, Federal Home Loan Bank, Tenant/Landlord Issues and a special track for Rehab Specialists/Property Managers. To register for the Annual Conference and reserve a hotel room go here. https://lnkd.in/ga5dsu-k

Lights, Camera – Community Action! Mike Borges, Executive Director of the NYS Rural Housing Coalition and Josiah Lamp, Director of Housing and Community Development at Chautauqua Opportunities Inc and Board President for the NYS Rural Housing Coalition sat down with New York State Community Action Association (NYSCAA) to discuss housing challenges in NYS. On the podcast, they delve into the pressing issues surrounding the preservation and maintenance of affordable housing in New York State. https://lnkd.in/gJzQ-WqN

Registration is now open for the Rural Housing Coalition's Annual Conference at The Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center in Lake George on September 23-25th! Join colleagues from around the state at a welcome reception on the steamboat Mohican as we cruise Lake George from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Our Awards Luncheon will be held on Tuesday at noon with featured speaker David Lipsetz, President and CEO of Housing Assistance Council (HAC). Tuesday evening's dinner will feature Carmen Ciricillo, the Construction Comic. Register by August 2nd and you'll get a special 45th Anniversary t-shirt, commemorating the Rural Housing Coalition's establishment in 1979! We'll hope to see you in September.

The Rural Housing Coalition successfully advocated for the passage of two of our Legislative Priorities this past session. The first bill, sponsored by Senator Mannion and Assemblymember Didi Barrett (S.3141/A.9158), codifies into law the Manufactured and Mobile Home Replacement (MMHR) program that provides grants to replace dilapidated and unsafe mobile homes as well as raises the maximum grant amount from $100,000 to $200,000 and the admin fee from 7.5 to 10%. The second bill that passed both houses was sponsored by Senator Kavanagh and Assemblymember Woerner (S.9699/A.10457), would also increase the admin fee from 7.5 to 10% that non-profit housing organizations receive to administer the Access to Home program, which provides grants to low-moderate income homeowners to make accessibility enhancements as well as repairs. The Rural Housing Coalition thanks the Legislature and the sponsors in particular for their support in addressing issues critical to meeting the housing needs of Rural New York.

The New York State Legislature included $10 million in the 2024-25 budget for the acquisition and rehabilitation of USDA Section 515 properties. This is a good first step in preserving a crucial source of affordable rental housing in rural communities – before it’s too late. The 10 counties that would lose the most of these properties by 2030 are: Wayne; Washington; Chenango; Cattaraugus; Seneca; Wyoming; Orange; Oneida; Tompkins and Erie. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/gBenGngy?

RHC was happy to share our efforts around creating and preserving thriving rural communities at the second annual Rural Resources Fair in the Well of the Legislative Office Building in Albany. The chairs of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources are welcoming more than thirty rural groups from across New York State to table and interact with legislators, staff, and visitors. The groups represent a host of rural interests, from agriculture to education to energy, and more. Thanks to NYS Senator Rachel May and Member of Assembly Linda B. Rosenthal for their support!

Did you see top of the PERSPECTIVE page of the Times Union today? "Big Cities Aren’t the Only Places Feeling the Housing Crunch" "It’s not news that the state and the nation are facing a housing crisis — a crisis of affordability, of supply and of labor. Rural areas are not spared from this crisis; in fact, it’s exacerbated in rural communities by the lack of organizational capacity, infrastructure and funding to build affordable housing. Yet New York lacks a comprehensive plan to address the housing needs of rural communities — and that could leave rural New Yorkers out in the cold." Read the full piece here - https://lnkd.in/gJ4gnXvX

RHC Executive Director Michael Borges presented at the Association of Towns Conference in New York City on Feb. 20th. The presentation topic was "Rural Housing Development: Obstacles, Resources and Solutions" and the workshop was attended by town officials and other stakeholders interested in rural housing issues. This is part of RHC's outreach efforts to raise awareness of rural housing issues and the role Rural Preservation Companies can play in addressing those issues. Previously, RHC presented at the NY Housing Association Conference in 2022 and at the NYSAFAH Conference in 2023. View the slide deck here https://lnkd.in/gndbVcHx

We talked with Susan Arbetter on Capital Tonight about the three main challenges to affordable housing in rural communities, the lack of: Capacity, Infrastructure and Targeted Programs. A report on the sunset of USDA Section 515 housing programs illustrates the need for NYS to step in to preserve and rehabilitate existing affordable housing stock. View the interview on our YouTube Channel - https://lnkd.in/gC96anq6

We were honored to testify at the Joint Budget Hearing on Housing this week. It was an opportunity to thank the Legislature for providing long overdue increases last year to many housing programs that serve rural communities, such as the Rural Preservation Program (RPP), RESTORE, Access to Home and the Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI). Unfortunately, the housing crisis has not abated, and the Executive Budget does little to address it and even cuts funding for many housing programs. View our budget testimony on our YouTube Channel - https://lnkd.in/g_sS_iyH